The secret room in the dark
by Poulpelotte
Summary: Sabo never left the Outlook family and is now eighteen years old. On a business trip to Sabondy with his family, he realizes they might be doing slave trading.
1. The secret room

Chapter 1 : The secret room

Eight years, it have been eight years since Sabo last saw his brothers. His father had made it clear, if he run away, to see them or to flee, he will regret it. At the beginning, it was uncreative threats : he send someone killing the two brothers, spread fire to the forest or poison the water. Of course Sabo was afraid, enough to not left the house, but not enough to be obedient. So Outlook III searched further, his threats became more detailed and, at the same time, he developed his company's activities in various domains as black market. And so he found it, the ultimate threat, the one that would fill his son's eyes with terror. If he was not obedient enough, his beloved brothers would be enslaved.

From this day Sabo had been the perfect son. Well mannered and conscious of the etiquette. Each time his father would reproach him the slightest error, fear would come over all his body. And now he was trapped in this rotten prison with rotten people and he had to please them. Of course his self esteem had collapsed from that. I hadn't keep his promise to his brothers, hadn't be free. He just had been a puppet in his father hands. It was frustrating and made him sick.

The other thing that was frustrating was the lack of information. He couldn't know his brothers' situations because he couldn't go and see them and he couldn't know the piracy situation because all the newspaper he could fine in his house had been censored beforehand.

For his seventeen birthday, his father decided that all of them should go on a journey to Sabondy. Of course it have made him sick. He was indeed taking sea at seventeen but not free at all. But what made this journey definitively disgusting was that he enjoyed it. He saw the ocean, and not only from his window. He saw so many different islands with so many different people. When they had arrived at Sabondy, he was locked in their hotel, as the island was full of pirates, but he still managed to learn Ace become an infamous pirate, captain of the Spade pirates. He was really happy for his big brother (even if he would never admit that Ace was the older one).

He was now over the sea for the second time on his life, and not freer that the first time. It was the same ship than the one used a year ago and, he couldn't get it, but he knew something was odd with it. They had gotten back merchandise from Sabondy and were now on their way to Gunhao to deliver it. This time Sabo had been put in charge of the inventory management, he had recover the goods list and was doing the accounts of the company. And that is when he realized it : this journey made no sense. There were no way they could earn money like that. The journey from Goa to Sabondy was very expensive and even with the best negotiation there were no way to cover these costs. And he remembered the last time, they came back from Sabondy, his father was ecstatic, claiming he had saved his company from bankrupt.

That could only mean there was some kind of secret merchandise on this ship, valuable enough to put their company out of bankrupt. His doubts were reinforced as he saw everyday Stelly look at him with a scornful and vicious smile. Something was definitively wrong on this ship, and he would find it.

He was supposed to take care of the accounts for all day but had already finished it. It was time for investigating. He searched for all files he could find about the journey : he already had the inventory list, he checked the composition of the crew, the food stocks, sale contracts but nothing. Not a clue. He ran a hand in his hair and went out for some fresh air. He pulled his hand on the guard rail and lost his gaze into the mesmerizing ocean. He took a long breath and leaned his back on the guard rail, looking at the ship. In front of him was his own cabin and on the left was the one of the one who called themselves his parents. He closed his eyes and reopened them. Something was tickling his mind, something was not totally right in what was in front of him. He stared at this vision for a whole minute until he figured it out. He finally found what was already bothering him a year ago : the way the windows were placed wasn't harmonious. He turned back to his room, stood in front of his deck and open up all the drawers until he found it : the blueprints of the ship.

This was it : his bedroom was quite smaller in reality than on the blueprint, its lacked two square meters between his room and the one on the left. Everybody was partying in the dining room so nobody would hear him. He moved his wardrobe and started to quietly remove the wooden slats of the wall. Here it was, the secret room containing the secret merchandise.


	2. What is hidden in the dark

Chapter 2 : What is hidden in the dark

had made a hole just large enough so he could enter. The secret room was dark, but from the light of his room, he could see a body on the floor. A chained body.

_Oh, God, please, tell me that is NOT salve trading._

Of course it was, slave trading was profitable and knowing how his father was an awful merchant, it was the only way he could have made so much money in so little time. He let his eyes become used to the darkness and started to study who was in front of him. The stranger was lying on the ground, showing his back. He had long brown hair, and wore a red sleeveless shirt. His hands were handcuffed by sea stone in his back, so he might be a devil fruit user. Something which looked like a tattoo was hiding behind his shirt so Sabo carefully reach a hand and slightly pulled the piece of cloth. I recognized quasi instantaneously the Tenryubito slave brand.

His stomach was twisting and he barely stood for want of vomit. He hated nobility, hated the one who called themselves his family, he knew they were rotten to the core, but he just learned that they weren't even human.

_Wait, were we already carrying a slave one year ago during the first trip to Sabondy ?_

And that's when he really started to freak out. It was obvious that this time, they were carrying the young slave from Sabondy to Gunhao, but the first time ? They didn't had enough money to buy a slave, which meant that they sold one ?

_One year ago, we... We sold a slave at Sabondy, a slave who should have been from the Goa kingdom. And now we're carrying him to Gunhao._

He refused to look longer at the person in front of him. The person was a teenager with black hair, from Goa kingdom, with a devil fruit ability. He scanned the room, praying hard. He needed to find something that proved that his reasoning was false. He needed to fi-

_Oh no. Nononononononononono._

On the corner of the small room, a straw hat with a red ribbon was lying innocently on the floor. He took the young teen in a very careful and gentle embrace and push the long black locks to be able to see his face.

_Pleasedon'tbeLuffypleasedon'tbeLuffypleasedon'tbeLu-_

Of course his pleas stood unheard. The boy in his arms was silently sleeping, and Sabo gently traced the scar under his brother's eye with is thumb. He hugged him tightly and cried. He just cried for several minutes, making sure any of his tears felt on the floor or on Luffy, he didn't want to get caught.

He replace the boy on the floor and went back to his room. He replaced back the wooden slats and the wardrobe. He was shaking, his baby brother was right behind this wall, alone, trapped in the dark, and for now he could do nothing. He put a hand on his mouth and ran to the toilets. He throw up, with all his desperation, his self-disgust, his pain, his frustration.

He splashed his face with fresh water. He needed a plan and he needed it right now. He sat back at his deck and reopen the files about food stock, drug stock, crew members, maps, Eternal poses and life boats. After twenty minutes the plan was ready, in three days he would blown up this damn ship and escape with his precious little brother.


	3. The escape day

Chapter 3 : The escape day

It has been three days, and he was ready. He had checked all the stocks, knew exactly in which order he needed to get water, food, drug, navigating furniture and spare clothes. He had timed all the moves he would need to make and hidden all the smoke bomb he would use. The weather was perfect, all he had to do now was starting a great fire in the kitchen. As he reached for the matches, he heard a big crash and yells from outside : "Pirates ! This is a pirate attack ! Everybody, defend the ship !".

An explosion blown up the kitchen wall and Sabo was thrown face first on the floor. He didn't have time to stand up before a hand came to maintain his head on the floor as his arms were tied in is back. A knee weighted on his back as a man with a murderous voice approached him : " So, tell me shitty noble, where is the slave ?". They wanted Luffy. He didn't know if he was strong enough to save Luffy from his parents and now he had to save him from pirates who seemed far more strong than the Outlook militia ?

The knee on his back started crushing his bones and he could say at least two of his ribs were now broken. He heard a mad laugh from behind him, it wasn't going to end well. "So you're not talking ? Nobody will come to save you, all your little friends are already dead, you know ?".

His family was dead ? He would have been relieve if the situation wasn't threating Luffy right now. He tried to glance at the man but all he could see was no shirt, a orange hat and fire. His body was literally made of fire, so that meant he had ate a fire logia fruit. This man had an insanely strong power and was after Luffy. He made a change in his plan : Luffy would escape alone and he would stay behind to gain time.

As an other man, a fish-man to be more precise, entered the room, Sabo felt that the pressure on his back was now gone. He throw himself on sharps of glass, untidying his arms, not bothering getting himself cut in the process. He grabbed a knife, blown up a smoke bomb an ran to his father room. His father didn't trust anyone, so he should keep the key of Luffy' seastone handcuff in his room. He took a second to scan the room, he and tore all the cushions until he found the key. He violently destroyed the wooden wall and kneel in front of Luffy, freeing him. He grabbed his brother's hand and started to run.

He knew exactly what he needed to do : each direction he had to take, each position of each furniture he would need. The only problem was the pirates, he had to avoid them. The situation was so stressful that it came to him immediately. Suddenly he was able to know were the pirates where. If he had time to think, he could have known he had just unlocked observation Haki, but for now he just used it, calculating the smaller safe path from his position to the little boat he planed to use. Again he run, his brother's hand always in his own. The first to the right, the second to the left, duck, dodge the bullet. And then they were in front of the boat.

He loaded all that could be useful in it, and saw his little brother just fell asleep as he was climbing on. He catch him up just in time and searched a quill pen to write instruction, as he could not sail with Luffy. He took a sheet of paper and notices he had forgotten ink. He looked at his arms, and decided to simply plunge the pen into his wound. Just as he finished, Luffy woke up.

The first thing he did was putting a new, long sleeve shirt on Luffy, so his back would be well covered. Then he tried to gain his attention with a sweet voice : "Hey Luffy, are you narcoleptic ?". Two big chocolate eyes were looking at him " Narco.. ptic ?" Oh, right, Luffy didn't know complicated words. "Narcoleptic, it is when you have nap attack." A small smile appeared on Luffy face. He spoke, with a very quiet voice "Ace had nap attack. If I had too, then it's like Ace is with him, so I'm not alone anymore. But I have nothing from Sabo, I would like Sabo to be with me too."

Oh, so Luffy didn't had recognize him, that's why he hadn't said anything. Sabo gave him a warm smile and started giving his last instructions. He held Luffy the sheet of paper "These are the navigation instructions", then an eternal pose "This is an eternal pose, you need to follow the little red arrow" and then he pointed several emplacements on the boat "This is food supplies, here is the water, I gave you spare clothes, and in this box there are medicine with instruction. Listen to me Lu, you need to find Ace, he is now captain of a crew called the Spade pirates, will you remember it ?" Luffy slowly nod. "Right, you need to find Ace and you'll show him the wound on your back okay ? He will know what to do." He paused, he knew that Luffy description would be known and he couldn't have him recognize. So he keep on giving instructions " Luffy, you can keep your straw hat but you can't wear hit. Try to not use your power except if it for saving your own life." He opened the survey kit and took of a plaster he used to cover the scar on Luffy face. "And the most, most important thing : except Ace, nobody must see the wound on your back Luffy, nobody." Again, the teen nod looking at Sabo with his big eyes.

He was time for goodbyes. Sabo took his brother's head in his hand and move his face closer, their forehead touching, and he closed his eyes."Lu, I love you, stay strong" and then he kissed his forehead. He took his old blue goggles from his pocket and hold them to Luffy "Take them, so you won't be alone". He untied the sail, jumped out the boat and pushed it on the sea. He turned back to the main ship.

"This is show time."


	4. Show time is it

**Hello everybody.**

**I figured that Chapter 2 was not totally understandable, so I slightly rewrote it. And I also very very slightly rewrote Chapter 3.**

**Thank you so much for your reviews ! That's my first fanfic and I'm really glad you like it :) Also I'm sorry for mistakes, english is not my first language.**

**Ruby : Thanks for your review, Yes Luffy is more or less okay but I can't tell more, I don't want to spoil ;p**

**Guest : Thank you, I try to update the story every Sunday, there will be something like 9 chapters.**

**Mirioria : Than you !I love Sabo too. Luffy has been a slave for one year (it was implied in chapter 2 but that wasn't really clear so I rewrote this part). He will not talk a lot in this story because I don't really know how to write Luffy's parts.**

**Alienfromuniquespace : Thank you ! I love "what if Sabo stayed with his dad" stories but my favourite is on (definitive ?) hiatus and I'm so frustrated !**

Chapter 4 : Show time it is

He was already injured, and he knew this enemy would be strong, far stronger than he was. He needed a trump card, a booster, so he ran to the ship infirmary. He looked to himself in the mirror, he already looked like shit and the fight hadn't even begun. He took a deep breath and smash the mirror. The nobles didn't like to be in pain, and lots of times there were bored, so it was no surprise there were a lots of drugs on the ship, and there were all hidden behind the mirror. He found the little bottle labeled "morphine" and a syringe. He rolled up the left sleeve, filled up the syringe, greeted his teeth and injected himself. He put his sleeve back and went to armoury.

There were _lots_ of weapons : guns, swords, axes, daggers. But most of them were useless : this damn nobles treated weapons like jewelery. Seriously, how are you suppose to fight with a golden pistol ? Why were there diamonds on this sword ? He would had give anything for a good old pipe, but he knew his _father_ would have neither authorize such a _disgusting_ thing on board. He eventually choose a not-to-fancy sword, two guns and several grenades. He completed his set with more smoke bombs : he was ready.

He went back on the bridge. Two pirates had started to chase Luffy's boat. One was a devil fruit user and had changed into a bird, the other was a fish-man. Sabo took a piece of Seastone out of his pocket and throw it at the bird man. The hit was successful and the devil fruit user fall into the sea. Sabo had now to concentrate on his third opponent, knowing the fish-man would stop his chase to help the first one.

His enemy was a man dressed as a woman and fighting with two guns. He took his sword and started running on his opponent. When he was close enough, he blown up a smoke bomb, jumped and attacked from the air, but his sword clashed on one of the gun. He got back on his feet and attacked again. He ducked and tried a spinkick, clashing again the man's arm. He wasn't quick enough to avoid a gunshot in his left shoulder and backed up for a second.

He took a grenade, took the pin out with his teeth and throw it in front of himself. He knew the other two were now on board, and no sign of the fire one. He breathed deeply, he needed to concentrate or Luffy would be caught. He filled himself with determination and got back to fight.

He did not stop switching weapons and tactics. He was running, jumping, clashing, dodging, shooting. Never loosing concentration, always perfectly knowing where his enemies were. He knew his was surrounded, but he didn't want escape, just winning time. So he would continue, again and again. Of course he couldn't dodge all the attacks, and was more and more injured, but the morphine was doing its job and so he wasn't loosing speed or strength.

Blood was covering his white coat and his blond hair, he had run out of munition a short time ago and was left with his sword. He needed to stand firm, just a little more, Luffy was not out of trouble yet. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let his sword clang on the floor.

He kept his stance low, and concentrate. There was so much smoke and dust around him that he couldn't see, but with he newfound power he didn't need to see anymore. He took a sharp breath, opened up his eyes again and attacked. Of course they were far stronger than him, but it didn't matter, he was punching, jumping, kicking. He managed to make some strong hits on his enemies, but eventually his strengths were leaving him. It became difficult to breath, his vision started to blurry, his head was dizzy.

_Concentrate ! For Luffy !_

He was nauseous, his legs gave out, he was now panting on the floor, but none of his enemies were attacking him. Why ? He scanned the area with Haki and noticed a fast boat sailing in their direction : it was the fire man. Right behind his boat was tied another boat : Luffy's boat. And Luffy was on it, unconscious. _Shit ! Shit shit shit shit shit !_

He was so concentrated on Luffy he didn't felt one of the men approach him. A sharp pain on the back of his neck and everything fade in darkness.


	5. In the forest

**Hello everyone, this is chapter 5.**

**Mirioria : Thank you for your review. I really wanted to make a joke with the expression "hitting two birds with one stone" as Marco is kind of bird, but as English is not my first language, I didn't manage to.**

**Guest : Thank you very much !**

Chapter 5 : The forest

When Sabo woke up, he was tied again. This time he was leaning against a tree, and Luffy was tied next to him, sleeping, again. The fact that Luffy was half time asleep, half time tired had bothered him, he was suspecting malnutrition but couldn't do anything about it right now.

It was night time and the pirates were partying not so far from them. It seemed they had raid several ships yesterday -not only his- and had found a precious devil fruit. They were having so much fun that they weren't watching them and Sabo felt lucky. He didn't have his coat nor his jacket anymore and was left with a bloody shirt. His head was still full of blood from his last fight. But they forgot to check his boots and Sabo was full of resources. He managed to grab the knife he hid there, untied himself, untied Luffy, take the boy in his arms and ran away in the forest.

He could hear the pirate yelling stuff like "They escaped !" or "The blond one is really a pain in the ass" (he couldn't retain a smirk at this one) and eventually "this is hunting time, those are bastards, no need to bring they back alive". He was pretty sure the last one came from the fire one. This was going to be bad : the island seemed uninhabited so the only boats would be with the pirates' ones, and he couldn't fight the whole crew by himself.

He got Luffy and himself in a tiny cave. He gently shook his brother, it was freezing outside, they needed to stay awake.

"Hey, Lu, wake up sleepy head."

His brother slowly open his eyes and, with a very tired voice, answered the blond one "Hello again mister". Sabo's heart melted in front of such innocence "Hello you". And then he saw his brother's eyes widened and being filled with tears "You, you are injured ! You are bleeding". And without warning, Luffy took of his shirt and started to tear it. He then used the cloth to bandage properly each of Sabo's wounds.

This was really bad. They were hunted by murderous pirates, without any escape plan, Luffy's mark was now clearly visible and if they weren't killed by the pirate they would froze to death before next morning. "Ne, Mister" Sabo turned his head to the youngest one waiting for the rest of the sentence.

"Do you have a hat ? "

That was not what he was expecting. But if a hat conversation could make Luffy happy, then a hat conversation it would be. He didn't know what to do anyway.

"Oh, I had one, yes. But I unfortunately lost it"

His hat has been precious to him, so when his father found out, it was quickly burned. He had only managed to save his blue goggles. Oh no, Luffy seemed devastated by his hat's fate, he quickly added a positive note.

" Don't worry I will fine a better one !"

He had a small smile; to get a new hat, they would first need to out of here alive. "I think they took my hat too, I won't be able to get it back, will I ?". He knew the straw hat was Luffy's treasure, but they definitively wouldn't be able to have it back.

"Ace has a hat too, a very cool one."

Luffy was smiling now, and Sabo wanted to keep his brother happy. He also wanted to know what kind of hat Ace could have, it surely was a ridiculous one. So he encouraged Luffy to keep talking "Oh yes ? What kind of hat ?" "Oh, it was really really cool : it was a cow boy hat, and it was orange, like really orange !"

Sabo froze. He had indeed saw a very orange cow boy hat very recently. Worn by a psychotic shirtless pirate who was currently hunting them down. Couldn't be the same hat, right ?

"Luffy, I know this is a strange question, but does that Ace have a problem with shirts ?"

He watched as Luffy tried to think very hard.

"I think he only wore one because Makino told him it was rude to be bare chest."

So Ace had exhibition issues ? He wasn't even surprised. But that would mean that their current enemy was actually, well, Ace. This situation was crazy. Totally crazy. But in a surprisingly good way. If it was truly Ace, then Luffy was not in danger anymore. But does that means Ace didn't recognize Luffy ?

_Seriously Ace, __just because he had long hair and a plaster on his scar ? What are we gonna do with you ?_

He rolled his eyes and started the operation Lets-have-Ace-recognize-Luffy which consisted in 1) remove the plaster, 2) cut Luffy hair with his little knife.

He sensed his older brother not far away, and he tried to get up, only to realize all of his strengths had left him. He cursed under his breath "Shit !".

"Mister, they are coming, and they don't seem happy." Sabo turned his face to Luffy and was surprise by the seriousness of his expression. His little brother kept talking "Thank you for saving me, for giving freedom, even if it didn't last. I'm strong you know, now it's my turn to save you." And he stayed speechless as Luffy stood up in a fighting pose.

"Gomu gomu no Pistol !"

Of course Luffy missed his hit, his opponent was a Logia after all. But Sabo was impressed by the aim... And by the fact Luffy didn't punch his own head because of the recoil.

"Luffy ?! Is that you ?"

He could see the face of his little brother being illuminated by happiness.

"Ace !"

And Luffy run out the cavern.

"Oh god Lu what's on your back ?!"

Sabo leaned his head on the wall and sighted in relief. This was definitively Ace, Luffy was safe. He allowed himself to pass out.


	6. Trapped forever ?

**Miroria : Yes, Ace is a bit dense in this story. Anyway thank you very much to review each chapter, I'm glad you like the story :)**

**Guest : Thank you very much. I update each sunday**

**Guesty guest : Thank you for your review. I tried to correct the mistakes in the last chapter. English is not my first language but I try my best ! Yeah, I know I'm not very nice with Sabo but he's going to get throught it !**

Chapter 6 : Trapped forever ?

When Sabo woke up, he was in a cell. Would he be trapped forever ? The floor wasn't stable, so he was on a ship ? Ace's ship ? He heard commotion above his head, maybe he could use it to escape. He stood up with difficulties and tried to reach the door but tripped on something, his back felt on the door which opened without resistance. He was on a cell whose door wasn't locked and he could see on the floor some handcuff and a bloody dagger. There wasn't someone who was trying to frame him for a murder, was there ? There were Ace's crew, so they had to be nice. But if they thought that he had killed one of them, his chances of surviving were, well, inexistent. And Ace would be the first one to kill him. He had to escape, except his body refused to stand up.

He heard footsteps in the corridor, and felt two pirates behind him. He didn't had to see them to know who there were or what there were thinking right now. There were fire, burning fire right behind him. He slowly tilted his head backward until he could see him : his brother. Except he wasn't his brother anymore. The freckles were still there, the gray eyes too, but never ever had Ace look at him which such a pure hatred glare.

"Ac-" He couldn't even say one word that Ace's kick sent him flying to the other side of the cell. Next moment Ace was sat on his chest, his knees locking his arms and his dagger hold by both hands, ready to end his life. Sabo knew Ace, and he easily guessed the victim was someone Ace really cared about.

"Is he alive ?". He didn't realize he said that out loud, but he couldn't stand Ace loosing someone important. Ace's gaze turned to madness, maybe he should have stay quiet. He closed his eyes tightly, bit his lip and wait for the dagger to torn his throat open. A tear ran on his cheek, he had thought about many way he could die, but Ace had never been one of them.

"Ace !" He felt Ace stopped and opened his eyes. The dagger stooped right above his throat, barely touching the skin. The other pirate, the one who just spoke, was behind Ace and had his hand on Ace shoulder. "Ace, we'll bring him to Oyaji, yoi". _Oyaji_ ? He only heard about one crew were the captain was called Oyaji by the other crew members : it was the Whitebeard pirates. So Ace was part of the Whitebeard pirates ? The thought of Ace not being the captain felt weird, but he knew that Ace needed a place to belong more than anything else, so he guessed it make sense.

He saw Ace taking back his dagger, standing up and exiting the room "Marco, I'm going ahead. If I stay here on more second I'll kill him.". He recognized Marco as the one who could turn into a bird. He was rolled face on the floor and his wrists were handcuffed in his back. He was thrown on Marco shoulder with indelicacy, carried like a potato sack. "To answer your question, Thatch's alive, you miss your aim, yoi.". His face was against Marco's back, so no one could see him. He allowed himself a small smile.

_Glad you didn't loose anyone, Ace._

Yeah, maybe he could think about his own situation first, like he was going to be executed really soon by one of the most powerful man in the world (or Ace). But his life has been shit since he left Ace and Luffy eight years ago and Luffy had been a slave for one whole year. So the fact that Ace had found a family and that no one in this family was dead was the first good new in long time and he could appreciate that.


	7. The Trial

**MyLove4Hetalia : Thank you ! **

**Mirioria : Thank you again for all your nice reviews !**

**HBA019 : To the question why Ace does ot recognize Sabo : It's been ten years, Sabo is dressed as a fine noble, he hasn't nor is has neither his goggles and he is covered in blood. And as he is now considered as an enemy, Ace never took the time to actually look at him.**

**Vi-Violence : Tahnk you !**

**Guest : Yeah, I know Sabo go through a lot in this story. Thank you for the review !**

_I must precise Luffy fall asleep just after his meeting with Ace and didn't wake up since then. So Luffy didn't explain anything and Sabo is still considered as an ennemy._

Chapter 7 : The trial

Sabo was thrown on the wooden floor of a large room. He got back on his knees and took a deep breath. He was going to face one of the Yonko : Whitebeard. And worst, he was going to face Ace. And then he realized something : he was free. Indeed, his wrists were chained in his back and his chance of surviving were very, _very_ low. But his parents were dead, Luffy was safe, so he could stop pretending, he could stop hiding, he could stop lying. He could just be Sabo, the shitty brat that piss off the whole world. For the first time in eight years and maybe the last time of his life, Sabo was going to have fun.

"Young one" The voice was deep and resounded all over the room. Sabo left his head, he had heard stories about Whitebeard, but damn, he was huge. And have you seen his mustache ? Luffy would love it. He scanned the rest of the room, he could see fifteen other persons, included Marco, Ace, the fishman and the cross dresser he fought back on Outlook's ship. He looked back at the cross dresser "Lady", then at the others "Gentlemen", then at Ace "Fire exhibitionist, I am delighted to meet you".

"That's it I kill him" Ace was definitively to easy to piss off.

"I do not remember allowing you to talk !" Whitebeard was indeed impressive, but Sabo was in a playing mood, and the bigger the enemy was, the more insolent he would be.

"Oops !"

"Young man, I do not know how you could find this situation funny, but you are guilty of an attempted murder on one of my sons !"

"I'm not." He did not stop bearing Whitebeard's glare.

Marco let the bloody dagger fall on the floor. "We found this in your open cell."

"Well, If I had manage to escape my cell once, I would have not come back, you all know how Ace's welcoming can be _warm"._

"Don't call me by my name, you bastard !" Sabo bowed his head so nobody would see his smile fading away. He wouldn't let this kind of emotion ruin his fun. He was a shitty brat and would stay a shitty brat to the end. He smirked and lifted his head again.

"Oh, I offer you my sincere apologies Exploding freckles"

"I'm going to -"

Sabo froze. His smirk disappear instantaneously. He sensed it : there was a fat man right above the ceiling. This fat man had a gun, and was aiming right at Ace's head. He looked Ace right in the eyes with a mix of emotions.

"Ace" The gun security was took off and Sabo was really scared for Ace's life.

"Could you do me a favor and" A finger was on the trigger and you could hear the pleas in Sabo's voice.

"DUCK !"

There was a smoking hole in the wall right where Ace's head was a moment ago. Several other gunshots were fired, but nobody was wounded, there were all commanders after all.

Within a second, Whitebeard left his giant chair an stabbed his giant bisento in the ceiling, exactly where the fat man was standing. A bloody body felt between Sabo and the Whitebeard crew, following by a smoking gun and what looked like a purple devil fruit.

"Teach ?"

Sabo had to look at Ace to make sure he was the one who just talk. His voice seemed so weak. Ace was staring at the body in disbelief, and the disbelief turned into pure anger as Ace's eyes meet blue ones. "What did you do ?". And Sabo saw Ace turn to fire. A great wild fire. He could have been afraid : he knew Ace and he knew that, right now, Ace was about to kill him. But he was mesmerized by the fire, by how his brother had become powerful.

"Sons !"

Ace turned back to his human form, fire still licking his shoulder.

"This is painful, this is heartbreaking, but this is reality : we have been betrayed. Marshall D Teach, my son, your brother, stole the Yami Yami no Mi and tried to kill several of us."

Sabo couldn't bear to see Ace's eyes anymore, there were full of pain.

"That's a lie ! It's him he-"

"Ace, my son, you must accept it. Teach betrayed us." Ace slowly calmed down. "And you owe your life to this young one. These are Kairouseki bullets, without him you would have a hole in your head."

Two people entered and took Teach's body away.

There was a long silence in the room, and Sabo didn't know what to do except looking at the floor.

"Hi Ace ! Hi Mister !"


	8. Luffy

Chapter 8 : Luffy

"Hi Ace ! Hi Mister !". Sabo smiled fondly as he saw Luffy at the door. "Wow ! Huuuuuge ! Old man your mustache is so coooooool !" Sabo could see stars in his baby brother's eyes. _Said he would find it cool._

And then Luffy came and knelt right beside him, unfolding a sheet of paper on the floor. Sabo could recognize the navigation instructions he wrote for his brother. "Mister, I had a question." And Luffy started to read out loud each line and reformulating them with his own words. He had always done that when Sabo had tried to teach him something back then. He could felt Ace and Marco in his back, it seemed he picked their curiosity.

"That surprisingly well explained, yoi." He felt pride in this statement. But as Luffy wasn't always a good student, he had to be a good teacher.

"Isn't that brown ink a bit fancy ? I suppose nobles have weirds hobby."

"That's not ink Ace, that's blood yoi." Sabo could felt Ace's hand crushing his shoulder.

"Whose ?" The tone was murderous. He sighted.

"Mine. At the beginning I wanted to escape with Luffy, but your unfriendly appearance made me change my plan. I had to write this in a hurry, I couldn't loose time searching for ink."

"I'm sorry Ace" Luffy was now looking at Ace with tears in his eyes."I wanted to turn back and help him, but I had a nap attack. When I woke up, I was tied to a tree and he saved me again."

All the room was suddenly filled with silence. Embarrassing silence as everyone started to understand the implication of what the young one just said. Marco was the one who decided to ask the question everybody had in mind.

"Ace, does this mean you didn't recognize your own brother, yoi ?"

Sabo could still felt a hand on his shoulder, but it wasn't hurting anymore. He glanced back at Ace who was now avoiding his gaze and pitching the bridge of his nose.

"No, that means that I didn't recognize my own brothers."

Warm, so much warm was now filling his chest. And he laughed, so lightly, so clearly, so freely. He laughed as he didn't laughed in eight years. "Ace, I thought only Luffy could be _that_ oblivious !"

Ace was now red, and Sabo's laugh grew even louder. "Shut up !"

Sabo throw himself on Ace, he was now above his brother a knee on his chest : "Never !" and he triumphantly spout his tong out.

"Man, you're covered in blood."

But Sabo didn't care about the blood, didn't care about the pain, didn't care about his wrists chained in his back. He was with his brothers again, and that was all that matter.

And then he fall.

Maybe all of this was to much for his current state.

"Wow, you could warn !".

He was panting heavily, his head resting on Ace's chest. He managed to lift his head and smile " Wouldn't... Be fun."

"What is your condition, yoi ?" Sabo was a bit surprised that Marco was worrying about him. He shift his head to the side, still resting on Ace.

"I would say two broken ribs, courtesy of Ace, a gunshot in the shoulder, cut and bruises approximately everywhere and the morphine I took to fight you and your friends stopped being effective several hours ago."

"Ouch" Ace had a compassionate look for his newfound brother.

"Yeah, indeed, Ouch."

"Ace ?

Luffy's voice was too cute for this world

"I was kidnapped by Outlook III, I was on his ship, but that's a coincidence, Ne ? Mister looks like Sabo, sounds like Sabo, acts like Sabo, but that's a coincidence Ne? Sabo's not here right ? He his free, Ne ? Ne ?"

Sabo felt guilt and sadness tied his guts and he buried his head deeper in Ace's chest.

"You will had to deal with that, you know ?" Ace was now playing with Sabo's blond locks.

Sabo didn't want to think, or move. These last days had been exhausting, both mentally and physically, he didn't want to have _this_ talk with Luffy. He just wanted to fall asleep in Ace's warm. But it seems Ace didn't agree.

"I know you don't want to, but you can't avoid him knowing for all the time you'll stay here. Which will be at least one week knowing your current state."

Sabo tried to sat, he couldn't speak to Luffy in this position. But without his arms, he failed miserably.

He looked again to Ace, unsure of what would follow "Ace, do you think you do something about, err, you know ?" and he clang his handcuff. Ace blinked, and rose a hand. Immediately, a bunch of keys landed in it.

After being freed Sabo sat cross legged and massaged his newly freed wrists. He turn his head back to Luffy who was looking at him with his big chocolate eyes. He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Lu, I was neither free nor happy and I broke my promise. Could you forgive me ?"

He saw tears forming in his baby brother's eyes. And the next second he was on the floor, wrapped in Luffy's embrace, who was crying out loud.

"SAAAABOOOOO, I knew it was you, but it couldn't, it wasn't, you shouldn't, SAAAAAABOOOOOOO !".

He would have like to return the embrace, but his arms were pressed against his body, so he just smiled and spoke again "I'm sorry Lu". One of Luffy arms left him and stretched to get Ace into the hug too. It was a bit violent and uncomfortable, but it was home. Luffy was crying, Ace was laughing, and the three of us soon fall asleep on the floor like they always did back then. Not caring a second about being watched by a Yonkou and all of his commanders.

This time, when Sabo woke up, he wasn't trapped anymore. He was lying in a comfortable bed. Luffy was sleeping, curling into his right side and Ace was on his left, lying on his back, awake.

"Will you stay on the Moby, Sabo ?" They were whispering to not wake up Luffy.

"I don't think so. My family has been in slave trading, and I don't think they were the only one in Hight town. I want to get back and investigate, I could use my position for that."

"You're giving up piracy ? In a sense that suits you more. About Lu ?"

"I was thinking taking him with me so he could sail from Dawn Island when he is seventeen, like he promised."

"That sounds like a good idea. Then I entrust you with Lu."

"Are you happy here Ace ?"

"Yeah"

They looked at each other and smiled.

"Even if we are apart, we are still brothers, right Ace ?"

"Brothers forever !"

"Yeah, brothers" made a sleepy voice near them.

Sabo rolled to put Luffy between him and Ace so the three of them could cuddle together.


	9. Epilogue

Chapter 9 : Epilogue

Luffy had sailed a month ago and was already getting his name in the press. He had already a impressive bounty : 30.000.000 berrys. Of course his wanted poster was now plastered on the wall of Sabo's office, right next to Ace's. Sabo smiled at the view, he was so proud of his two brothers.

Now it was his turn to act. From two years he had investigate and he was following a interesting trail. This night there was a party at Goa's castle and this party was hiding slave trading. He had managed to get invited and had found the blueprints of the castle. He hadn't have enough information to make a plan, so it would be improvisation.

He looked at himself in the mirror a last time, took his hat, his coat and exited the Outlook's Mansion. He arrived in the middle of the party. All Goa's Nobility was here and they were cheering about the tenth anniversary of the Great Fire. It was twisting his guts, but he was used to pretend : he had an eight years training. After some well found compliments at the right persons, he had manage to locate the person who had the bunch of keys that would open the slaves' cells. After that, all he had to do was using his old skills of pickpocketing.

Right before the dancing began, he managed to snick out, the loud music covering his footsteps. He was now in the basement, and found the cells. Oh god there were mainly women and children. He quickly started opening as many cells as he could before he felt the barrel of a gun against the back of his head. He slowly rose both of his hand as a surrender, the bunch of keys always in one of them.

"Outlook Sabo" it was a girl voice "twenty years old, heir of the Outlook family. You and your family were on a business trip to Sabondy two years ago but your ship had an accident and you are the only survivor. You came back as the only representative of the Outlook family and handled the company by yourself." She stopped, breathed deeply and continued "That's the official report. The business trip was in fact slave trading and it wasn't the first. A first trip to Sabondy had occurred a year before that. So did your little slave trading business failed ? So you killed all of them ? Are you here to start all over again ?"

Running footsteps were heard and another people was here. He seemed to be a friend of the girl.

"The man who was supposed to have the keys doesn't have them anymore !"

"What do you mean ? Who had them now ?"

Sabo made the keys clinging and started to slowly turn around, facing the mysterious people who definitively weren't at the party. The barrel of the gun was now on his forehead, security off.

"Why do you have these keys"

"Stole them"

"And what for ?"

"Freeing the slaves." He knew he had to keep his answers short if he wanted to survive.

"And you think that I an going to belie-"

"In fact half of the cells are already opened." It was her friend who just talk.

The gun was pressed harder on his head.

"Who. Are. You ?"

"I think you made a pretty accurate statement earlier. Except I am not the one who killed the Outlook family and the former slave is alive. In fact he is quite full of energy." He smiled remembering the details about Arlong's defeat in the newspaper.

"Lower your gun Koala."

A tall man just appeared behind the girl. Sabo didn't sense him approach. He didn't notice the gun was not threatening him anymore as he was paralyzed by the sight of the man before him.

"You are the man from that night. You are the one I saw the night of the Great Fire. "

The tall man was smiling at him.

"You made quite an impression that day, you know ? I've been watching you since you came back two years ago. Have you ever heard of the revolutionary army ?"

_The End_

**Hey everyone, the story ends here. I'm not really found of what i wrote, so I'm currently rewritting it, in french. I will kept the idea of the beggining and of the end but not the middle. Having the three brothers not recognizing themselves for so long is not very credible and a bit frustrating.**

**I wanted to thank you so much for all the reviews you wrote, I was depply touched by them. Thank you very much**


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